Hydraulic air-pump



BHWEATHERHEAD.

(No Model.) 2 She.ets--Sheet 1.

HYDRAULIC AIR PUMP.

No. 562,164. PatentedJune16,l896.

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M. PHOTO-UTHUYWASHI N GTONV D C (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

E. H. WEATHERHBAD.

HYDRAULIC AIR PUMP.

No. 562,164. v PatentedJune 16, .1896.

ATT'UFFNEY ANDREW E GRAHAM PHOTlrUTHD.WASNINGTON DC.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDIVARD H. \VEATHERHEAD, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

HYDRAULIC AIR-PUMP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 562,164, dated June 16, 1896.

Application filed July 26, 1895.

To ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD H. WE ATHER- HEAD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Ouyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hydraulic Air- Pumps; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to hydraulic airpumps, and the invention consists in a hydraulic air-pump of the kind in which waterpressure is employed to operate the pump and in which all the operations are automatic, substantially as shown and described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical central sectional elevation of my improved pump, enlarged as compared with Fig. 2, and illustrating especially the lower portion of the pump. In this view the plunger is down, while the main valve is closed and the parts are in the position they occupy when the pump beginsto fill with water to lift the plunger, all as hereinafter more fully described. Fig. 2 is a vertical central sectional elevation of the pump on the same lines as Fig. 1, but with the size somewhat reduced, so as to bring the entire pump into view. In this view the main valve is open and the plunger has begun to descend. Fig. 3 is a crosssection of the pump corresponding to line 3 3, Fig. 2.

A represents the main casing or body of the pump, which usually and preferably is cast in one piece, except the base B, which is formed in a separate part. However, the said body A may be formed in one or more pieces, as shall be found convenient or desirable.

0 represents the plunger-cylinder, which is shown here as coupled to the body A about its top and of course is made water-tight at its joint.

The body A has an inlet-port 2 and an outlet or exhaust port 3. I have found it exceedingly important in pumps of this kind that the exhaust should occur promptly and speedily, and in order that this result may be obtained in the present pump I have constructed the same with. an ejector-nozzle 4 and which Serial No. 557,189. (No model.)

is set into the casing or body A at an inclination as shown here corresponding exactly to the inclination of the outlet-port 3, so that the two shall be in a line and the ejector will discharge directly into and through said port. To this end the body A is formed with a suit able seat 5 for the head of the ej ector-nozzle, and this head is packed and held in its position in any suitable manner. It will f urthermore beobserved that the seat- 5 comes at one side of the center of the body, so as to avoid the auxiliary-valve stem which islocatcd centrally in the pump. I

Between the inlet-port 2 and the outlet-port 3 I have introduced a horizontal annular valve-seat, which, in this instance, is formed by means of an interiorly-threaded ring 7, which engages the packing arranged about its inside and serving to pack and seat snugly the main valve D. This valve is constructed with a tubular extremity 8, which projects up into the ring and its packing 7, and besides that has a lateral flange 9 at the base of its seat which engages up against an inwardlyprojecting flange 10 on the inside of the said body A, and which reinforces the seat of the valve and helps to make a close union at that point when the valve is raised, as seen in Fig. 1. I have found that it is especially desirable that the main valve should move downward some distance before the outflow of water begins to take place, and this is the reason for constructing the valve with its tubular extremity 8 instead of relying upon the flanges 9 and '10 to do the seating.

The valve 1) has a limited up-and-down movement, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and has connected with it the differential pistons E and F, which have to do with the po sitions of the valve and controlits movements. The larger piston F works in a chamber peculiarly its own in the bottom of the body A and has the larger area, and the piston E works in a chamber above the piston F and is of reduced area. WVater is admitted to the chamber 12 of the larger piston through the downpassage 13, which communicates with the inlet-port 2, and through the holes 14 in the neck 15 between the two said pistons, and other holes 16, opening into the interior of the tubular auxiliary valve 11, which in turn opens into the chamber 12. The position the parts IOO occupy in Fig. 1 shows the passage-way to chamber 12 as just described. This chamber is exhausted and the pistons and the main valve D are forced downward when the auxiliary-valve tube II is raised, as in Fig. 2, so as to bring the openings 16 above the packin g within the piston E and into communication with the annular chamber 18 and its openings into the exhaust. lVhen the said auxiliary-valve tube is raised as thus shown and described, the water discharges from chamber 12 and the main valve and its connected pistons descend under the pressure of water in the chamber 20 wherein said pressure is permanent whatever the position of the pistons. As soon, therefore, as a downward movement of the main valve has occurred sufliciently to clear the flange 10 of the casing A the exhaust is accelerated by the water injected through the ejector-nozzle 4. \Vhen the exhaust has been completed, the plunger will have descended to the position seen in Fig. 1, and when this occurs the auxiliary valve II is forced down to the position seen in Fig. 1 and in position to begin to refill the chamber 12 beneath the main piston. This refilling of course begins as soon as the holes 16 have passed down beneath the packing in the piston E, and when it has been completed the main valve D will be found in the position seen in Fig. 1, and then the inlet-port which always discharges into the pump through the nozzle i will pour its water into the main chamber 22 of the pump above the main valve. The exhaust will 110w of course have been cut off and so the pump will rapidly fill with water and raise the plunger G from the bottom to the top of cylinder 0. As it comes up it will of course crowd the air which is in the top of said cylinder forward and drive it into the receptacle designed to receive it, whatever that may be. The air-passages are indicated in the head of the main cylinder 0 by the inlet 24, its valve 25, the back-andfort-h passage 26 and the air-outlet nozzle 27, having a valve 28 to close it. These latter parts and features are, however, not novel in this case.

Now, in order that the plunger may automatically control the operations of the pump, I have formed it with an internal chamber 30, extending nearly the entire length thereof, and have packed the plunger about its lower end to prevent the water passing into the airchamber above. Telescopic connection is made through this internal chamber 30 and the auxiliary-valve tube II by means of the tube L, which is headed, so as to engage projections 31 at the bottom of the chamber 30 and to prevent withdrawal therefrom, while the auxiliary valve II is headed to engage shoulders in the said tube L and prevent withdrawal from said tube.- parts adapted to be thus telescoped upon one another are of such length each as to operate as desired in this pump and to give the desired positions to the auxiliary valve when These several the plunger is raised and lowered. Thus, when the plunger is up it at last raises the auxiliary valve to such height that it exhausts through the ports 10 and chamber 18 from beneath the main piston and thus permits said piston and the main valve to descend until at last it opens the exhaust from the pump itself. 011 the other hand, when the plunger descends it forces the auxiliary valve down to effect the reversal of the parts, as seen in Fig. 1.

At the top of the base A and threaded into the same is a spider 33, having a substantially cup-shaped central portion 31, which is dropped down about as shown and forms a stop for tube L when at its bottom of stroke or movement, as seen in Fig. 1.

Several material advantages are derived from this style of pump which are not found in any other pump known to me. In the first place it is well known that when water is suddenly shut off in a service-pipe there is apt to be hammering, so called, in the pipe. Hence, if a pump of this general nature be made to shut off the water at once it is condemned, in many places, by that reason alone, and I have had pumps excluded on this account alone. Hence, to overcome this obj ection, as well as to attain other advantages, I have produced a pump in which there can be no sudden closing off of the water. In. this pump the water at most can be stopped from flowing only gradually because it .is always on so far as the body of the pump is concerned, and is stopped only as the back pressure on the piston exceeds or equalizes the water-pressure. This occurs in the operation of the pump and must be gradual because it is against an air-cushion above the piston. Again, it frequently occurs that these pumps are set up for use in places when the waterpressure is very low, say, not exceeding ten or twelve pounds. It therefore is desirable to have a pump in which the action may be perfeet and responsive to even so low a pressure as this, but to accomplish this result it was necessary to employ a very light plunger G, and it is well known that a light plunger alone, in a light pressure, makes practically an in operative pump, because its operations are too slow to be of real value, especially in the matter of the discharge. Hence, in a lowpressure position and with the necessarily light plunger which alone can work in such position, I require the ejector-nozzle 1: to augment or facilitate the discharge of the pump. By this auxiliary and artificial means a suction is produced which discharges the pump much more rapidly and quickly than could occur without it, and thus I am enabled to use a light plunger and have much less to lift in filling the pump and compressing the air, and can compress as much more air by a given low pressure of water as I reduce the weight of the plunger.

The packing for valve-seat ring 8 may be omitted and the valve itself be made close IIO enough to serve every purpose, but the packing is preferred. I

One of the main objects and advantages of having the neck 8 on the main valve is to keep said valve closed until the discharge from beneath piston F is fully established. 0 ther- Wise there is constant danger that as soon as the openings 16 in the auxiliary valve emerge slightly above the packingin the piston E there will be sufficient opening of the main valve D to prevent the plunger from rising higher and fully uncovering the openings 16. Hence there is danger that the parts Will hang in that undecided state for an indefinite time and defeat the operations of the pump. But

by using a valve with neck 8 the valve cannot open to pass Water until the openings 16 are fully open in the chambered neck connecting the valve D and piston E. Being thus open the discharge from chamber 12 goes on as intended and arapid and quick discharge of the pump follows.

What I claim is 1. The main casing having an inlet-port With an ejector-nozzle and an outlet-port below the inlet-port, a valve-seat between said ports and avalve formed with a circular portion to extend Within said valve-seat and having a lateral flange beneath said circular portion, substantially as set forth.

2. In a hydraulic air-pump, a casing having a valve-seat around about its inside Wall and a water-inlet on one side of said seat and a Water-outlet on the other side, a main valve constructed to enter said valve-seat and close the passage, and an ejector-nozzle in the Water-inlet forming a Water-passage from said inlet and pointed in the direction of the Water-outlet, substantially as set forth.

WVitness my hand to the foregoing specification.

EDWARD H. WEATHERHEAD.

Witnesses:

H. '1. FISHER, R. B. MOSER. 

